As a Zaurus newbie (so new I have not even bought one yet ) I am wondering what the useability of the C1000 is outside.

Although I am new to the Z I have a lot of experience with PDAs (going back to the Newton and including a good number of Pocket PCs) and am wondering how the Z compares in this respect. My current Pocket PC, and Axim x50v, has a great screen but even that has its limits in direct sunlight so I am not expecting miracles.

I guess I just want to know that the Z screen is not a complete hopeless case in the sun.

The screen is not transflective, so if the sun shines brighter than the backlight behind the screen, you have no chance.I can read the screen with maximum backlight outside in the shade without a problem. In direct sunlight it's inconvenient to impossible.

If you need a palmtop with excellent readability in direct sunlight, I recommend the HP 200LX :-)

The screen is not transflective, so if the sun shines brighter than the backlight behind the screen, you have no chance.I can read the screen with maximum backlight outside in the shade without a problem. In direct sunlight it's inconvenient to impossible.

If you need a palmtop with excellent readability in direct sunlight, I recommend the HP 200LX :-)

daniel

Well I guess that is a bit disappointing -especially as I live in sunny Perth, Western Australia.

Still, I am so damn keen to try one of these that I will probably still get one and see if I can live with it.

It does sound like the C1000 is not going to be great for outdoors use, but this was really more a curiosity thing than any burning need for an outdoors PDA.

I do use my PDA (what ever it might be at the time) for watching movies, or playing a game of quake,on the bus going to work quite a bit, but I am guessing the Z should be able to cope with that.

I also find that the anti-glare screen protector from boxwave that I use on my Axim helps in the sun and as it is the same physical size screen (from what I can work out) then I might give that a go as well.

Welll I went ahead an got myself a C1000 and do you know what - the screen visability issue turned out to be a complete non-issue.

The screen on the C1000 is excellent. Indoors I have not seen anything like it and even out in the sun it is no worse than any of the screens I have had on Pocket PCs. If I use maxim brightness (which because of the excellent battery life I am able to use most of the time) then I can see the screen in most situations and those that it cannot cope with, well neither would the screen on my Axim x50v.

You could maybe build some kind of sunshield (like a big lens hood) from black thick paper.I did this for a digital camera which did only have a screen and no view finder. Worked very well.

daniel

Since it's a clamshell you could make a shade by holding the device upside down. You just need to adjust the Screen Rotate parameters.

Also, if you do that in Z Emu, you will get the D-pad on your left hand, making it more like GBA.

Anyone know where those parameters are stored?I would love to rotate my screen the "other" direction, so the wifi card doesn't dig into my hand, and the jog wheel's accessible, when I have the screen rotated and folded back.